It wasn’t that Tate simply made some impressive catches, it was that most of them were along the sideline or end line in the end zone, requiring him to go up and get the ball and find a way to get both feet in bounds.

That kind of athleticism coupled with his 6-foot-5 frame could make Tate a key target in the red zone.

“That’s how I started at Florida State and then just kind of built my role from there,” he said. “That’s probably how it’s going to go (here).”

While some of Tate’s catches came in 1-on-1 or 7-on-7 drills, his final gem of the minicamp came in an 11-on-11 drill, and it came against the team’s top cornerback, William Jackson.

Tate out-fought Jackson for a pass the cornerback had tipped in the back corner of the end zone. It looked close whether Tate got both feet in, but the Bengals were using officials throughout the minicamp and the one in that corner of the end zone threw both hands up signaling a touchdown.

Tate said that was the catch that got the most reaction from his teammates.

“It was in a situational drill, so everybody’s watching,” he said. “(Jackson) thought he broke it up and it kind of tipped in the air and I just kind of found it and just got my feet down. It was cool.”

It also was a big confidence boost heading into the six-week break before the rest test comes during training camp, where Tate still will face some difficult odds to make the final 53-man roster.

“You always think you can play in the NFL but you never know until you get out there,” Tate said. “So now I know I can play with them. It just takes a lot of stress off me, so I’ll just go out there and play my game.”